1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to welding accessories, and more particularly, to a purge plug used for purging gas from a welding region.
2. Description of the Related Art
Welding is a generally known industrial fabrication process that involves fusing metals or thermoplastics by heat and/or pressure. In some applications, the process requires the welding region to be purged of gases such as oxygen and nitrogen in order to reduce porosity and brittleness in the welded joint. Purging of welding regions in tubing or pipes for example is typically performed by attaching a gas tube to inject inert gas into the opening and sealing the opening with tape. The taping process increases the material and labor cost of the process. Certain purge plug systems have been developed to replace the use of tape. However, prior art purge plug systems typically utilize a threading mechanism to attach the purge plug to the work piece. Moreover, different sizes of purge plugs are typically required for tubing or pipes of different cross-sectional areas. This limits the interchangeability of using the same purge plug for different pipe or tubing sizes. Thus, there is still a need for an improved purge plug for welding applications.